Humpback whales. Researchers have determined the number of whales living off the West Coast of the United States, such as this humpback whale. When whale numbers were combined with data on the diet of each species and the ecological efficiencies between adjacent trophic levels, the researchers estimated that whales consume approximately 12 percent of the NPP of the ocean off the West Coast of the United States.

Photo by Masa Ushioda/age fotostock.